Quote:
Originally Posted by KyleGoetz
It's not formal. It's more accurately labeled "polite."
THink about it this way.
Formal in English is like "I heretofore bequeath you blah blah" or "You honor me with your presence blah blah."
Polite, on the other hand, is the avoidance of "yo foo, how you doin' aight" or "i ain't gunno go over there, so you best git, son."
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But... informal Japanese is nowhere near that level.
Sorry, I just actually laughed at your post so had to reply - but to stay on topic I`ll add my own answer.
In Japanese it is normal to speak a bit more politely to those who rank above you in some way - whether it be age, work status, etc. To an extent this is also true in English, although not as widely spread. Most people speak differently to their friends than to their boss or teacher.